DVD progress and new socks!

Light ahead!

Hopefully we are seeing a glimmer of hope (and maybe much more) in the resolution of our DVD issues.  How do you resolve a situation where both sides say that it is the fault of the other?

This is where we have been for the last two weeks since the arrival of the faulty discs. However, it appears that another company can handle the material just fine and come up with a fully functioning disc. This is being tested today. If it passes the checks we will be able to salvage the situation and repack new discs in the old boxes! This will reduce the time scale and minimize the waste. Thankfully there are plenty of students around for the hiring.

Thanks to all of you who have sent kind and supportive comments regarding the delay – we truly appreciate your support and patience.

In the meantime I’m working on round-to-its, the Double Diamond Socks are the first on my hit list. These socks were 98% completed (pattern written and all) in 2003, but I knew that I wanted to revisit the toes for a minor improvement and thus they have languished in a plastic bag ever since awaiting about four hours of concentrated time. I am glad to announce that they now are done all apart from laying out the pattern in In Design, so you should see them in the fall. The cuff is beaded in a zig zag design and then there is a choice of either a Diamond Lace or Diamond Waffle pattern. Lots of fun.

Double Diamond Socks, lace & waffle pattern.

I have been test driving a set of Signature needles whilst working on these sample socks. These needles are things of beauty. Mine arrived rather heavily packaged (this could be minimized considerably to save on shipping costs and waste). I nearly did myself a mischief with the sharp knife that I found it necessary to use to extract the needles! This said, once I extracted the gauze bag with satin ribbon drawstring the experience began. A beautiful presentation, worthy of the superior quality of these needles, akin to tipping jewels from their leather pouch.

I’ve been using Crystal Palace bamboo 6” dpns for years (which I still love dearly) but knitting once again with metal needles was a novel experience. The rigidity of  metal took a little getting used to again but it was rather pleasing, they are very positive needles. I will admit to feeling more than usually cautious when knitting in the passenger seat of the car. One of these needles would certainly make a neat incision if in the wrong place at the wrong time. (A long time ago I was in a vehicle that spun-out on a snowy road and I was amazed at the lightening speed with which I cast my needles to the deck!) I would also hate to lose one of these needles when opening a car door (these were a birthday gift and I also am mindful of their value), to this end I was being very particular about using my Stitchkeepers to corral my needles at the end of each session.

I had a nasty moment whilst awaiting the start of the latest Harry Potter movie, I was switching from one needle size to another after completing a facing and I just managed to rescue all of the Signature dpns as they began to cascade out from their little bag. For these needles I would grovel in the popcorn and gum.

The needles themselves are very beautiful (anodized aluminium) exquisitely crafted, a pleasure to handle though they have slightly strange (though not unpleasant) slight underlying ridgyness (I know this is not a word) when you rub one needle shaft against another. I wonder if this is deliberate to reduce excessive slip? The tips are delightful neither too sharp nor too blunt.

All in all I really enjoyed the experience and I would happily treat myself to a set in my favorite sizes. I love good tools, knitting, cooking or otherwise. They enhance the pleasure all around visually, tactilely, and in their ease of operation. (I’m starting to crave good d.i.y tools these days, you know it is bad when you lust after someone else’s compact and handy pry bar!)